
AI and Audio: Implications as the Technology Moves Into the Broadcast Soundscape Audio execs see artificial intelligence as an ultra-smart, ultra-fast assistant By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 - 7:00 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Artificial intelligence (AI) already has significant presence in professional audio. It's automating and streamlining such tasks as editing, mixing, mastering, and, increasingly, music creation and generation. It allows producers and engineers to work faster and more efficiently and offers new creative possibilities. Even so, there are concerns regarding the potential for loss of human creative input and the ethical implications of AI-generated content.
SVG asked some industry thought leaders for their views on this inflective moment in pro audio's evolution.
NBC Sports' Karl Malone: The beauty of AI lies in its ability to analyze a scenario and evaluate far more parameters of an audio signal than we ever could as humans.
Karl Malone, senior director, audio engineering, NBC Sports:
I'm excited to have the ability to see what can be achieved with new AI tools in broadcast audio. We already look to Cedars, Isotopes, and upmix engines to look after complex tasks, and the use of Kick for mixing ball effects in European football should be enough for us to take automated and intelligent technology seriously.
The beauty of AI lies in its ability to analyze a scenario and evaluate far more parameters of an audio signal than we ever could as humans. Although A1s excel at brain-to-hand-to-eye coordination, we simply cannot match the computational foresight of AI. It can process information in real time, anticipate outcomes, and make decisions or offer suggestions based on both its analysis and the specific training it has received for a given situation.
However, the artistic nuances and creative expertise that define an A1's work are irreplaceable, making AI unsuitable for mixing a major broadcast show on its own. That said, AI could be highly effective in handling secondary outputs, such as creating a dedicated mix for second-screen feeds - focusing, for instance, on mixing close ball effects and radio commentary as a separate audio feed.
AI can also be helpful in the QC of large numbers of program feeds to be able to check audio and video for all sorts of visual- and audio-mix issues: out-of-sync audio and video, artifacts in video-resolution-quality fluctuations, missing audio, clipping, metadata timing, phase, etc. It can alert the MCR/BOC operator to take a closer look or listen.
Ultimately, we decide if we want to use it in these early stages or not, so it's not being forced upon anyone to implement.
Audio-Technica's Gary Dixon: AI is a tool for humans to better react to unpredictable events caused by interesting human nature.
Gary Dixon, director, broadcast and production business development, Audio-Technica:
Audio is dynamic, and the moments worth hearing are typically unpredictable: such as a crash in racing, the eruption of the crowd at the 18th hole, or holding a music note just a little longer at a concert. AI in professional audio and in microphones specifically will be used as a tool for quickly adapting hardware in unpredictable audio situations. Hardware can have limitations in gain structure, dynamics, and general EQ, whereas AI can assist the human in reacting to these situations.
However, for audio to appeal to humans, the final monitoring stage and final adjustments will need to be done by humans. AI is a tool for humans to better react to unpredictable events caused by interesting human nature.
Christian Scheck, head of marketing content, Lawo:
From a content-creation perspective, generative AI is proving extremely powerful. As far as video is concerned, it is already possible to feed a generative AI engine with some information to get usable footage.
Similarly, on the audio side, music written and performed by AI engines is beginning to scare songwriters and performers alike, while artificially generated voiceovers for videos and live commentary for broadcasts manage to fool a growing number of listeners into believing that they are listening to a human.
AI has been used to good effect for the generation of closed captioning, which used to be a time-consuming task and can now be prepared within minutes. Results, however, still need to be checked by a human for consistency, tone of voice, and, critically, accuracy.
Lawo's Christian Scheck: AI has been used to good effect for the generation of closed captioning, which used to be a time-consuming task. Results, however, still need to be checked by a human.
In the broadcast industry, more-advanced algorithms [can] help audio engineers, for instance, cope with a rapidly growing workload, not least in immersive-audio-mixing scenarios that require the supervision and delivery of several presentations and downmix formats - all from one console and by a single A1.
Ultimately, the success of AI in live-production scenarios will depend on how well it responds to unexpected situations. It may very well become a powerful assistant that complements media production based on the use of Lawo solutions, but whether it will be able to replace DSP audio or high-quality video processing remains to be seen.
AI can add value in other ways. On a modern, software-based platform like HOME Apps, for instance, AI can streamline process monitoring, vastly improve debug times, and shorten downtimes, as well as assist with data analysis and help predict failure conditions.
Other applications could include advanced auto-mixing algorithms or the intelligent deployment of apps and services to max out hardware and software utilization in scenarios with a limited number of computing resources.
However, AI needs to be applied wi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
27/05/2026
Telestream has announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Benjamin Desbois as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, 2026. Desbois, currently Teles...
27/05/2026
ESPN garnered 10 awards; NBC's Sunday Night Football received the Outstandin...
27/05/2026
Matrox Video is celebrating its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of operations from its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. Founded in 1976, the company has...
27/05/2026
Major League Baseball has announced a series of initiatives tied to America's Semiquincentennial, including a national marketing campaign, Fourth of July br...
27/05/2026
Advanced Systems Group (ASG) has announced that Brian Gross has joined the company as an Account Manager on its Audio team, based in the Burbank office. He will...
27/05/2026
Nielsen has released new research on soccer fandom ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2...
27/05/2026
ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has unveiled a new partnership with TikTok to bring broad...
27/05/2026
FIFA's Oscar Sanchez gives a deeper look to how this tournament will be cove...
27/05/2026
The soon-to-be senior from Charlottesville is building her skills in replay, TD, and even creative content for HokieVision and its ACC Network productions
In t...
27/05/2026
FOX Sports' Mike Davies breaks down the vision for this summer's showcas...
27/05/2026
HBS's Paul King, FIFA's Oscar Sanchez preview how the masses at home wil...
27/05/2026
FOX's MLB coverage dominated the night at the 47th Annual Sports Emmy Awards...
27/05/2026
One of the most memorable Postseasons in baseball history would have had no memo...
27/05/2026
NBC's Sunday Night Football is among the most decorated and most watched programs in the history of television. It added to its jam-packed trophy case on Tu...
27/05/2026
The 2026 Sports Emmys marked a watershed moment for Prime Video Sports. After bu...
27/05/2026
With the Opening Match just over two weeks away, the entire sports-production-te...
27/05/2026
Spotify already brings together listeners' favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks in one place. Now, we're trialing a new format that expands the cont...
27/05/2026
The best podcast moments deserve more than just a mental note. That's why today, we're making those moments easier to save and share with clips.
Whethe...
27/05/2026
On Purpose is one of the most popular podcasts in the world, known for conversat...
27/05/2026
On May 8, 1,500 of Olivia Rodrigo's top fans gathered in Barcelona's Tea...
27/05/2026
Hybrid design combines large-diaphragm capsule & ribbon
JZ Microphones have teamed up with Grammy-winning producer and engineer Marc Urselli to develop a ne...
27/05/2026
Three new plug-ins inspired by classic tape effects
AIR Music Tech's latest release delivers a set of plug-ins that aim to capture the character, moveme...
27/05/2026
Piano played on the edge of silence
The Crow Hill Company's Vaults collection offers a continual rotation of instruments that are given away for free fo...
27/05/2026
Recreates Moog's iconic Memorymoog polysynth
Arturia's vast software instrument range offers a combination of new and old, with innovative modern so...
27/05/2026
Offers loudness levelling for speech and dialogue
Accentize have built up a solid reputation with their audio-restoration tools, and their latest plug-in is...
27/05/2026
10,000 units strong - The Rohde & Schwarz R&S M3SR Radio 4400 Rohde & Schwarz celebrates a major manufacturing milestone, producing its 10,000th R&S M3SR Radi...
27/05/2026
The XL Converge 300P radio system emerges with a groundbreaking feature set enhancing the mission-critical communications of public safety, federal and critica...
27/05/2026
Pairing Two47 MCX software with existing LTE networks means tailored system upgrades that can save time, money and lives....
27/05/2026
PAC-3 MSE offers improved range, speed, and maneuverability, making it an effect...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Star Trek VFX: Recreating John Knoll's Iconic Warp Stars without a Slitscan ...
27/05/2026
Adventure World Uses Blackmagic Replay for Marine Live
Brie Clayton May 27, 2026
0 Comments
Large screen displays and slow motion replays dynamically ...
27/05/2026
Berklee Alumna and Assistant Professor Olivia P rez-Collellmir to Premiere Origi...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
27/05/2026
Co-founder Dan Castles to transition to Executive Chair; internal promotion reinforces continuity and long-term growth
Telestream, a global leader in media wor...
27/05/2026
Big Blue Marble today announced that its Nakolos platform is the first end-to-end 5G Broadcast solution worldwide to implement the complete feature set introduc...
27/05/2026
Lightware recently hosted the Girls' Day event in April at its headquarters in Budapest, welcoming students for an interactive introduction to engineering a...
27/05/2026
27 May 2026
VEON's Kyivstar and Uklon Launch Ukraine's First Live Testi...
27/05/2026
May 27th, 2026 May 27, 2026
Press Materials Available Here
TRIBECA X Announc...
26/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
26/05/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...